Wad-sorter



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P. .SELBY.

. WAD SORTER. y N0. 365,544. Patented June 28', 1887; v

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WAD TER No. 365,544; Patented June 28, 1887.'

N PEYERS. vino-mum". Wi hlnglon. DC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRENTISS sELeY, on OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

WAD-SORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,544, dated June 28,1857.

Application filed February 18, 1887. Serial No 22 ,434.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be itknown that I, PRENTISS SELBY, of Oakland, Alameda couu ty,State ofOalifornia,have 7 invented an ImprovementinYVad-Sorters; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to a device for sorting wads-such as are used forloading shells for cartridges.so that wads of varying degree ofthickness, as they come from the factory, may be separated into lots ofuniform thickness. The ordinary wads, which are cut'from sheets ofwad-paper or pasteboard,vary in thickness, since it is foundimpracticable to manufacture thiswad-paper or composition of uniformchar-" acter, In loading shells, therefore, in automaticcartridge-loaderssuch as thatclass represented by the Ohamberlincartridge-loading 1nachi-neit is found that\this disparity of the wadscauses irregularities in the crimping of the shells, since the crimperis so adjusted that its proper action depends on the depth ofthe loadiuthe cartridge,and the depth of said load depends tomore or less extenton the thickness of the wads used.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention", Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection. Fig. 3is a plan orhorizontal section.

A stationary central rod, A, carries on its upper end a disk, B, havingaround its edge a series of short bars, I), in which are pivoted aseries of levers, a. These levershave on their outer ends acorresponding number of down- Wardly-proj ecting fingers or sorters, O,of varying length, for the purpose hereinafter 'described. The innerends of the levers n are suitably connected by pivots or hinges to avertically-sliding sleeve, D, said sleeve having attached to it aright-angled bar, -E, passing through suitable guides, c, this bargivinga vertical motion to the sleeve D, as hereinafter described. Atable, F, is laid off in sections by means of divisionsor ribs f,andisrevolved by suitable gearing beneath it. In the center of said table andfixed to it isa circular camratchet, G, the teeth of which are adaptedto lift, after the manner of a cam, the bar E, and with it the sleeve D,actuating the levers a and their fingers or sorters C, so that saidfingers (No model.)

are drawn simultaneously toward the center as said sleeve rises. As theright-angled bar E passes up the incline of the cam-ratchet thesefingers or sorters all draw in, and asit drops to the next incline onthe ratchet Gallthe fingers fly out simultaneously from the centerthrough the medium of the levers a, the weight of the sleeve D beingsufiicient to cause this motion without springs.

Arranged radially from the edge of the table F is a series of spouts orleaders, H, having extensions h, there'being as many ofthese spouts asthere are divisionsf on the revolving table.

A feed-spout, K, extends above thewhole machine and is intended to leadall thewads placed therein to the revolving table. Its lower end isplaced just clear of the divisions or ribsf, so that the wads will fallinto the spaces between these divisions. A spring, Z, serves to pusheach wad into the rear corner of its space or division, so that each Wadwill be exactly the same distance from the center. The extension 9 tothe lower guide, 6, on the central rod is for the purpose of steadyingthe bar E as the series ofcams G lift it. The basin or trough Mencircling the whole device and forming part 'of it serves to catch anywads which may fail to be properly sorted.

The operation of my device is as follows: The circular wads of allgrades of thickness are placed in the feed-spout K, and the centraltable. is rotated by any suitable power through the medium of itsgearing. As the table revolves a wad drops from the feedspout into thespace between the divisionsf, the rib preventing another from fallinginto the same space, as the lower end of the feedt ube comes close toits upper surface. The revolution of the table causes all the fingers orsorters C to simultaneously draw toward the center and then fly outagain by means of the can1 rack G, vertical bar E, sleeve D, and thelevers a, as above described. The fingers or sorters G are made so thatthe first one from the feedspout is the shortest of the series, eachsucceeding one being about a thirtysecond of an inch longer, or they maybe graded to any degree of nicety. This Variation of length continuesaround the circle. the central table brings the wad in line with thefirst finger or sorter, and as said sorter flies The revolution of I00out, as described, it the wad is thin, the point of the sorter passesover and does not disturb it. The wad is carried on in the circle by therevolution of the table until it comes in front of one of the fingers orsorters which touch or hit it as said finger flies out, when the wad ispushed into the open mouth of the leader or spout H in front of saidfinger and passes on through the extension h to the proper receptacleplaced at the outer end in the extensions. Should the wad be "cry thickthe first finger of the series will throw it into its spent, and shouldit be very thin it will not be removed from the table until it nears theend of the series; but all the wads are properly graded and sorted andplaced in respective grades in the various boxes. lhe small spring Zpushes each wad as it comes from the feed-spout back into the corner ofthe division on the table, so that all the wads on the table will be atequal distance from its center. This is necessary, since the fingers orsorters necessarily move in the are of a circle, and were the wads notplaced in the same relative positions irregularity of sorting wouldresult. It is evident that as-many of the fingers or sorters may be usedas it is desired to make different grades of thicknesses of wads. Thewads once sorted, those of uniform thickness may be used with any fixedamount of ammunition in the shells and the depth of load in all thecartridges of that lot will be uniform. There is thus no danger ofinjuring the shell in the subsequent operation of crimpin Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. A wad-sorting machine consisting of a table upon which the wads aredeposited, and a series of vertical fingers the ends of which are atvarying distances from the surface of said table, whereby each thicknessof wad is removed, substantially as herein described.

2. A wad-sorter comprising a circular rotary table, on the outer edge ofthe top of which the wads are successively deposited, and a series ofvertical fingers or sorters suspended to swing above the table andhaving their ends at varying distances from said table, substantially asand for the purpose here in described.

3. A wad-sorter comprising a circular rotating table, on the outer edgeof the top of which the wads are successively deposited, and a series ofradial ribs by which the wads are maintained separate from each other,in combination with an equal number of hinged swinging arms or fingersdepending froml above and having their ends swinging within varyingdistances of said table, together with the mechanism whereby thesefingers are caused to oscillate, substantially as herein described.

4. The table upon which the wads are distributed and the depending armshinged at the upper end, so that their lower ends may swing at varyingdistances from the surface of said table, in combination with theleverarms a, the vertically-moving sleeve by which said levers areactuated, and the cam or ratchet disk, together with an arm or rodextending from the ratchet to the sleeve, substantially as hereindescribed.

5. The horizontal rotating table, upon the outer edge of which wads aredistributed, radial dividing-ribs by which said wads are separated fromeach other, aseries of arms arranged radially and depending from pointsof support above the table, so that their lower ends approach the tableat varying distances as they swing, and a mechanism whereby the lowerends of said arms are drawn inwardly toward the center and caused toswing outwardly while the wad-carrying table rotates, in combinationwith the spouts or receivers into which the wads of varying thicknessesare discharged by the action ofsaid swinging arms, 'substantially asherein described.

6. The horizontal rotating table having the shallow radially-disposedreceptacles around its outer edge, a spout or feed-tube through whichthe wads are delivered successively into these receptacles as the tablerotates beneath it, and a series of radially-swinging arms, the lowerends of which approach the table at varying distances, so as to sort thewads into uniform grades of thickness, in combination with an elasticarm or spring by which all the wads are placed at the inner angles ofthe receptacles as fast as they are delivered on the table,substantially as herein described.

7. The horizontal rotating wad-receiving table and the radially-swingingarms or fingers by which the wads are removed from the table accordingto their thickness, and corresponding spouts or receivers for said wads,in combination with an inelosing pan or receptacle into which wads whichmay be accidentally misplaced may fall, substantially as hereindescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PRENTISS SELBY.

\Vitnesses:

A. J. RALSTON, ll. 13. UNDERIIILL, Jr.

